Two days after missing his sixth field goal of the season and having a point-after attempt blocked – the fourth straight game in which a PAT was missed – the Cincinnati Bengals finally ran out of patience with Mike Nugent.

On Tuesday afternoon, the club released the 12th year veteran and signed Randy Bullock.

"It's just not a teammate – 'Nuge' is a friend," Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green said. "It's a cut-throat business. I'm sure he'll be great wherever he goes. We're going to miss him."

In 13 games this season, Nugent converted a career-low 79.3 percent of his extra-point attempts (23 of 29). With a 36-yard miss on Sunday in the Bengals' 23-10 victory over Cleveland, the 34-year-old was 23-for-29 on field-goal attempts.

Following the game, the Ohio State alumnus and Centerville native understood why people outside the locker room were getting frustrated with his performance.

"To be honest with you, I’m earning the way I’m getting reactions just the way I’m kicking," he said after the game. "I think the last couple weeks I’ve had really good weeks and really good days except for one kick. Whether that’s one out of 10 or one out of one, you still have to make the ones you’re expected to make.”

The Bengals worked out a handful of kickers, including Bullock, during the bye week back in early November following the 27-27 tie with Washington in London in which Nugent missed an extra point and a field goal. He responded by making all four of his kicks and scoring eight points against the New York Giants. But in his last four games, he went 4-for-9 on extra points and 7-for-8 on field goals.

The team stuck with Nugent in the hopes he would be able to correct the mental and mechanical issues he was having, but ultimately decided they could not finish the season with him. Nugent signed with the Bengals in 2010, and in 98 career games with the club, he converted 81.8 percent of his field goals and 96.5 percent of his extra points. He was due to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.

“Mike is a tremendous teammate and has been an integral part of the Bengals for seven seasons,” Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said in a statement released by the team. “This was a difficult decision, but one we felt was in the best interest of the football team moving forward."

Bullock was with the Pittsburgh Steelers from Dec. 4-12 as an injury replacement for Chris Boswell, going 3-for-3 on field goals and 1-for-1 on point after attempts.

He began the year with the New York Giants, going 2-for-3 on PATs, and the Bengals liked the fact that the fifth-year veteran has 45 games of experience under his belt. Bullock has made 81.3 percent of his field goals over his career and 95.8 percent of his extra points.